London calling but apply for that ETA first!

I have applied for Britain’s new (as of this year) ETA visa, the first of what will be another electronic visa (ETIAS) non-Europeans will have to obtain prior to travelling to the 29 country Schengen Zone. That second visa keeps getting delayed and is now scheduled to come into effect late next year. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s delayed again, as various countries have to sync their Customs and electronic systems to accept the new ID. It’s all about security, you see. But Britain successfully launched theirs’ Jan. 8. I’m heading to Blighty this weekend so applied a few weeks ago. It’s a relatively simple online application. It costs 16 UK pounds or just over $30 CAD and lasts two years. The application asks basic information. It took about five minutes and you upload your passport after a few security questions and essentially syncs the “visa” to your passport. So that all you presumably show or insert into a security gate is your passport as you did in the past.! The last couple of times I entered the UK, crossing the border was a breeze. All I had to do was insert my passport into the turnstile-like gate, which read it, and a door opened and I was allowed through and on my way; no need to talk to a Customs agent. 

London has become my new “go to” city. After spending two months there in fall 2023 I was there three times late last year and now for the first week of May. In 2023 I stayed in a shared (with the owner) Airbnb on the border of Hackney and Islington in NE London, half a block from the magnificent Regent’s Canal. Last year I/we stayed at a small hotel on the South Bank near Westminster Bridge and then in Central Finchley in far northwest - but well built up – London. This time I’m staying even further out in Harrow, site of the famous Harrow Public (private) School, whose alumni include several prime ministers, Royal Family members and Nobel winners. That’s not why I’m staying there. After swinging through the area on a city bus last December the “high (main) street” looked magnificent with shops, cafes, pubs and restos. It looked like a great place to spend a week. And despite its relative distance from central London it’s still London and connected by the Metropolitan tube line from “Harrow on the Hill” station.

I’ve also settled on a regular hotel chain for London stays. I found Travelodge to be absolutely great. In North America Travelodge, as I  remember it, was a tired chain with humdrum amenities. Sorry if they’ve improved. But in London they have been completely refreshed with modern sparkling clean rooms with midcentury Scandinavian-type furniture, funky colourful resto-bar (opened all night for food) (photo) and a great hot breakfast. The price is reasonable enough. The chain has locations throughout greater London so you can choose a different location each time to get a better feel of the city’s neighbourhboods.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller